WEEK 13
IDENTIFYING FAMILY HEALTH PROBLEMS
Reference: TYPOLOGY OF NURSING PROBLEMS IN COMMUNITY NURSING
PRACTICE
LESSON OBJECTIVES:
Using the forms for identifying and ranking health problems, students should be
able to:
1. list down the health problems recognized in your community;
2. categorize each health problem into health threat, health deficit, or foreseeable
crises;
3. prioritize health problems according to nature, modifiability, preventive
potential and salience to the family/community;
4. justify the scores given to each problem; and
5. rank health problems according to priorities.
After collecting the data, these will be analysed, sorted out and grouped. The
synthesized information will be compared to the norm to determine the nature and
source of the data gathered.
FACTORS AFFECTING PRIORITY STATUS
Greater weight is assigned to health deficit over health threat because the
former usually demands more immediate intervention than the latter. On the other
hand, a foreseeable crisis is given the least attention because culture-linked factors
usually provide adequate support to cope with developmental/situational crises.
The community health manager must consider the some important factors in
defining modifiability of a health problem- or probability of success in minimizing,
alleviating, or totally eradicating the problem through health intervention. These are:
1. current knowledge, technology and intervention to manage the problem.
2. resources of the family (physical, financial, and manpower)
3. resources of the community (facilities and community organizations)
4. resources of the community health manager ( knowledge, skill and time)
To decide on the appropriate score for the preventive potential of the health
problem- or the nature and magnitude of future problems that can be minimized or
prevented if intervention is done, the following factors are considered.
1. Severity of the problem – the more severe or advanced the problem, the lower
the preventive potential.
2. Duration of the problem – the longer the problem has existed, the lower the
preventive potential.
3. Current management – application of appropriate intervention increases the
problem’s preventive potential.
To determine the salience score, evaluate the community’s perception and
evaluation of the problem in terms of seriousness and urgency of attention needed.
The community’s concern and felt needs require priority attention.
After the score for each criterion has been finalized, the sum of all scores is
determined. The highest possible total score is 5. Priority problems are those with
scores nearer 5. The higher the score of the problem the higher its rank.
Utilizing the community members reflecting in the assessment guide identify the health
problems of each family member/community problem and determine the nature of
problem.
See example below.
A. LISTING AND CATEGORIZING HEALTH PROBLEMS IN THE COMMUNITY
Code of Family Head : hubby
LIST OF HEALTH PROBLEMS NATURE OF PROBLEM
Cough and cold of Jose Health deficit
1. __________________________________________ _________________________
2. __________________________________________
Scabies of Jai2x Health deficit
_________________________
Malnutrition of Jai2x
3. __________________________________________ _________________________
Health deficit
No potable water
4. __________________________________________ _________________________
Health threat
Poor environmental sanitation
5. __________________________________________ _________________________
Health threat
Family conflicts
6. __________________________________________ _________________________
Health threat
Pregnancy of Lucrida
7. __________________________________________ _________________________
Foreseeable crisis
B. COMPUTING AND JUSTIFYING SCORES OF HEALTH PROBLEMS
DIRECTION: Highlight the actual standard scores and the scores that apply to the family’s
problems. Justify the scores you gave in the indicated column by using TYPOLOGY of nursing
problems FIRST LEVEL ASSESSMENT. Compute for the sum of all the actual scores you
have encircled and write them on the space provided. See example below.
Family member No.: 1
Problem: Cough and colds
Criteria Standards Score Weight Actual Justification
Score
1. Nature of the Health Deficit 3/ 1/
Problem Health Threat 2 1 2/3 It is a health deficit and requires
Foreseeable Crisis 1 1/3 more interventions.
2. Modifiability Removable 2 2 The family and the community has
of the Partial Modifiable 1/ 2 1/ the necessary resources to treat
Problem Not Modifiable 0 0 coughs and colds.
3. Preventive High 3/ 1/ Possibility of transferring infection to
Potential Moderate 2 1 2/3 other members of the family is high
Low 1 1/3 should therefore be given immediate
attention. Mother knows ways of
treating cough and colds and has
used herbal medicine
4. Salience of Needs immediate 2/ 1/ Although there is a possibility of
the Problem attention transferring infection to other family
Does not need 1 1 ½ members, the infection is not life
immediate attention threatening.
Not a problem 0 0
TOTAL SCORE 4 2/3
Scoring:
1. Decide on a score for each of the criteria.
2. Divide the score by the highest possible score and multiply by the weight: (Score / Highest score) x
Weight
3. Sum up the scores for all the criteria. The highest score is 5, equivalent to the total weight.
Developed by Salvacion G. Bailon & Araceli S. Maglaya, 2003
C. RANKING OF HEALTH PROBLEMS ACCORDING TO PRIORITY
DIRECTION: Rank the health problems of each family member. Priority 1 has the highest score,
Priority has the second highest, Priority 3, the next highest and so on. See example below.
Ranking Health Problems of Community/family Members
PRIORITY PROBLEM SCORE
1 Cough and colds 4 2/3
2 Scabies 4
3 Malnutrition 3
